Aguilar, David A. 11 Planets: A New View of the Solar System. Washington, D.C: National Geographic Society, 2006. Pages 47. Ages 9-12. Genre: contemporary fantasy. Language: English.
This book talks about the 11 planets the solar system has. It tells information about and a small story about why our ancestors gave those names to each of them. The book also gives a brief explanation on how our solar system formed. David A. Aguilar has written one more book besides, this one. This book presents the latest discoveries in the space, which seemed very accurately. Aguilar is the director of Public Affairs and Science Information at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He is the PBS’s Emmy award winner for NOVA series, Evolution.
This book has excellent pictures of the planets. Along with the pictures, it has a good description of each of the planets in our solar system. The theme about he planes it is well address, since the wording it is easy to understand. The pictures seemed very realistic, that children can have a clear image of how they really look. I do believe children will love this book, since it explains will details the main point. I really enjoyed reading this book; it caught my attention very easily. I do believe the book is a teacher must have, since this book can help clarify many of the questions many children might have, about the solar system.
Howie and Eddie are best friends. Eddie has a weird aunt named Matilda. Then, Howie, Eddie, and some friends went to visit aunt Matilda, so they can give her the super. At some point in the story aunt Matilda tell them to go and water the garden. Then, Howie looked up to the attic window and saw a hat floating in the air. It is then when several weird accidents happen to the kids, while in aunt’s Matilda house. Debbie Dadey was born in Kentucky. She named the Bailey school kids after her grandmother Lilly Bailey. Now she lives in Furlong, Pennsylvania with her family.
This chapter book is written with simple words, which is easy for children to understand. It has some black and white pictures that make you think it is going to be very scary. I do believe children will like to read this book, because they might want to find out why Ghosts don’t Eat Potato Chips. The characters are very engaging that you really do not want to finish reading the book. I do recommend this book for teacher. This book could be a good way to introduce a kid to read chapter books.
This book is about a young boy in where he was sent to live with her two aunts because his parents had an accident and they were killed. James was abused frequently by his aunts and he decided to escape from his two evil aunts. Three years after living with his aunts, he encountered a man that gave him a sack of that contained magic. This is when he gets himself on a series of adventures with six giant insects he meets inside a giant peach. Roald Dahal was born in Wales of Norwegian parents. At the age of 26, he moved to Washington D. C., and it was there he began to write. His first short story was The Saturday Evening Post. Around 1960 he began writing children stories such as Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The BFG. He passed away in 1990 in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire.
This book seemed very cruel at the beginning, especially the way the author describes the two mean aunts James had. Also, I found that the words are very detailed when trying to illustrate characters are doing. The book does not have that many illustrations, but that ones that it has are black and white. The characters are engaging and invite you to continue reading and to make connections. I do think that children should be encouraged to read this book. It is full of adventure and fantasy. This book should be on any classroom book collection.
Flor Ada, Alma. Me llamo Maria Isabel. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. 60 pages. Ages: 8-14. Genre: Non-fiction. Language: Spanish available in English.
This book talks about a girl who transfers schools after school has started. She is nervous because she thinks she is not going to have friends like she did in the other school.
When she arrives at her new school her teacher changes her name to Mary, which she does not like, and refuse to answer to the teacher. Later in the book she has a wish, the wish was to be called by her name again. Alma Flor Ada is the founder and first editor in chief of NABE, Journal of the National Association for Bilingual Education. Alma Flor is a very famous and wonderful award-winning author of numerous children’s books as well. In 2000 she received the Pura Belpre Award, 1998, Once Upon a World Award, 1997, Premio Mundial Jose Marti, 1997, Gold Medal, Folklore category, 1996, Latina Writers Awards and many more.
I loved this book. I think in a way I can relate to Maria Isabel, since I do too have problems with the pronunciation of my name. Teachers will always changing my name, and sometimes they still are, but I do not get bother anymore. The book is written in very simple words and the best of all bring out the importance of the Hispanic culture. Also, the book shows the children uniqueness. This is really a teacher must have in the classroom.
Frizell, Colin. Chill. Custer, WA: Orca Book Publishers, 2006. Pages 98. Ages Young Adult. Genre: Novel. Language: English.
Chill is a talented artist and he has a disability, a crippled leg. It has been a significant issue in his life, but it has made him a better artist by channeling his frustration. But when a new English teacher arrives, narrator Sean believes that he finally might have a chance to have a writing tutor. However, he only finds that Mr. Sfinkter is only harsh to his students because supposedly the teacher is trying get them ready to the real word. Yet Chill started to work on something to uncover the kind of teacher Mr. Sfinkter is.
Sean, in turn, tries to help Chill when Chill's act might get him expelled. Colin Frizzell grew up in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada. He currently lives in Toronto, Ontario. He is a writer and screenplay. He mostly writes for young adults.
I chose this book because of the title Chill. I thought the book was going to be about some horror or drama story. However, at the time I started to read it, I change my prediction. I really like this book, since just like Chill I encounter myself with mean teachers. However, it takes bravery to confront them and let them know that they way of insulting people, it is not the way to motivate us to challenge ourselves in the real world. This book it is a teacher must have in the classroom. I do believe that this book gives motivation for students to have self-esteem and ant the same time to learn that they can speak up and be heard from adults. I do believe the topic it is fresh and very interesting to read.
This book narrates the life of seven women, which lived and saw different wars such as the revolutionary war, Spanish war, and the Vietnam War. This book tells the story of each one of those women that did great things in the eight wars that frame their lives. The book gives a very detailed explanation from the Revolutionary War to the present. It also makes an emphasis by telling that his great great great grandmother emigrated from Switzerland to USA. Betsy grew up in Alabama. She was in home schooled. She wrote her first book of poetry when she was fours years old. Then, later on in life she began reviewing children’s books and story telling, things that she still does at this point. She has won several awards with this book such as Winner, 1998 Jane Addams Children's Book Award and ALA Notable Booklist Editors Choice. She lives at Urbana, Illinois.
This book caught my attention because of the title. It tells the main point of each of the women it talks about. It begins by telling something about all the majors’ wars this country has seen, and that at some point it had change the lives of many people. I do believe children will like this book, since it gives details about how people lived at that time. This book it is colorful and the pictures seemed like they were painted by a children. I really would recommend this book for classroom library collection.
Marcellino, Fred. I, Crocodile. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1999. Pages 31. Ages 4-8. Genre: Historical. Language: English.
I, Crocodile is a very simple book that tells the story of a crocodile that was taken from his home Egypt by Napoleon of France. The crocodile was taken to Napoleon’s hometown as a souvenir. This shows that Napoleon did not have any respect for the Egyptian culture. Marcellino was a designer and illustrator. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He did many book jackets in his career such as Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe, and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. In 1998 he decided to write his first book, I, crocodile. He later was diagnosed with colon cancer. He died on July 12, 2001. This book won the following awards: 2000 ALA Notable Children's Book,
1999 New York Times Best Illustrated Book, 2000-2001 Georgia's Picture Storybook Award, and Georgia's Children's Book Award Masterlist.
This book is very vivid, with colors illustrating the abduction of the crocodile. The illustrations on each page, tells the story without necessarily reading the text. The book gives an idea, about the way in the people dressed at that time. Also, it shows some of the most interest places of the world such as, the Egypt’s pyramids and the Eiffel Tower. This can give children an idea that their imagination can travel back in time.
McMullan, Kate. Little Giant-Big Trouble. New York: Penguin Group, 2007. Pages 112. Ages 8-10. Genre: Chapter book. Language: English.
Wiglaf and his friends are on a rescue mission to save Worm, the dragon they have raised since he was born. They think that a gang of knights in training is the problem, but it turns out that it is a little girl giant. The friends do the impossible so the dragon does not become the girl’s house pet. McMullan was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1947. Her first book was written in 1976 and since then she has written more than 50 books for children. she has written nonfiction, several popular middle-grade novels, and picture books illustrated by her husband. She has created the imaginative Dragon Slayers' Academy series. McMullan lives in New York City and Sag Harbor, New York with her family.
I chose this chapter book because the cover got my attention. Once I started reading it, I was fascinated in the way it was written. The author did a good using onomatopoeia. I read this book to my niece and she was delayed and sometimes she was in suspense, because she wanted to know what was going to happen next. The book only has a few black and white illustrations, so the children can have an idea what is happening in the book. This book it is a must have. Children will love to read this book, because it has adventure, fantasy, suspense, and action at the same time.
Shaw, Janet B. Kaya’s Escape! A Survival Story. Middleton, WI: Pleasant Company Publications, 2002. Pages 79. Ages 8-12. Genre: survival story. Language: English.
Kaya’s Escape is one of the books of series about growing Nez Perce girl. In the fall of 1762, Kaya and her sister were abducted from his village Nez Perce by some enemies. In the staying with the enemies, she looked for ways to escape from them. Then, with the help of a boy that was also captivated by the enemy, Kaya was able to escape and returned home, only after Kaya and her blind sister had over turned the adversity of the road. Shaw was born in Missouri. Before she started writing for American Girls Collections, she dedicated her time to write poems and writing fictions for adults. Janet Shaw lives in Asheville, North Carolina with her husband and their two dogs.
I like this book because it shows how much courage a young girl can have. This book can give motivations to other kids, by letting them know that they can do anything as long as they put their heart to it, and try their hardest. This book is full of adventure. Shaw’s book is free from stereotype. Also, this book helps you to understand a little bit more about the Nez Perce culture. Along the pages, the book has some illustrations that make imagine the feelings of those two girls. The characters are very engaging, especially if you can make any personal connections about survival. I believe this book is a teacher must have.
Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. New York: NBM Publishing, 1991. Pages 47. Ages Young Adult. Genre: Novel. Language: English.
This book is about an immigrant named Jurgis Rudkus and his family, who find themselves at the mercy of a brutal system in the stockyards of Chicago. The book exposes the unsafe and unsanitary conditions in the meat packing industry. Sinclair was born in Baltimore in 1879 and was raised in poverty. He began to write at the age of 15. King Midas, Manassass, and The Metropolis are some of the books he wrote. He received the Pulitzer Prize with the book Dragon’s Teeth.
I choose this book because of the original way it was written. The illustrations on each page show the anger and make you feel the conditions in where the character was working. The book is written with dialogues. The characters are very engaging and realistic. The book exposes the theme of the unsafe conditions in a very simplistic way throughout the book. I do believe teacher should have this book. tesolinteramericanos/The next ten annotated bibliographies|**Reviewed by Mirsha Reyes 6/24/2008**
Barton, Byron. The Little Red Hen. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2006. Unpaged. Ages 4-6. Genre: Traditional literature, fable. Language: English.
The little red hen finds any of her lazy friends willing to help her plant, harvest, or grind wheat into flour, but all are willing to eat the bread she makes from it. Byron Barton is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs, The Three Bears, The Little Red Hen, and Machines at Work. His books feature bright, courageous illustrations which gives life to his words. Barton’s life is unknown.
This book is very vivid with the colors illustrating the animals in the story. The illustrations of animals seemed like they were painted from a beginner painter, such as child, which makes it more interesting for kids to relate to it. I like the way the book introduces their characters, since in that way the children can learn the names of the animals, as well as the colors. This book concentrated on the theme, on which people sometimes wants a piece of success, but they are not willing to work for it. This fable teaches children in simple words a lesson, as well as they can relate how they will feel if they became lazy. The characters are engaging, since at some point children can see how the pig, duck, and the cat, are having fun playing games a regular child will do.
Crews, Donald. Freight Train. New York: Geenwillow Books, 1978. 20 pages. Ages 3-6. Genre: Picture book. Language: English.
In very simple action words and vibrant illustrations, Donald Crews gets the attention of the rolling wheels, so that even a child not lucky enough to have counted freight cars will feel he has watched a freight train passing. Donald Crews won the Caldecott Honor with this book in 1979 and in 1981 with Truck. He wrote some other children books such as Carousel, Fly away, and School bus, books that I consider got to do with moving. He was born in 1938 in New Jersey. He was drafted into the army in 1963 to Frankfurt, Germany. At the present time he is living in New York, NY.
This picture book it is very colorful and I believe it shows the simple concept of motion. I choose this book because it simplicity for children to get to know the colors, numbers, and even to imagine the sound of the train. Also, it let the reader know an indirect way to see what the freight train transport, and where they can see it pass by. This book is for any ethnicity. I read this book to my niece once and I remember that she made a connection when we took the train, and it passed through the tunnel. I remember she said “just like the train in the book we are in a tunnel”. I do think this book stated its theme about freight trucks in a very simplistic way to children to understand it.
Delacre, Lulu. Arroz Con Leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America. U.S.A, Scholastic Inc, 1989. 32 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Poetry. Language: English and Spanish.
This book contains wonderful songs, games, and rhyming poems from Latin America. It is a blue ribbon book. The poems are from Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Argentina. The poems and rhymes are written in Spanish and English and some contain a description on how they are played and sang. Lulu Delacre was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico in 1957. She is a writer as well as an illustrator that portrays Hispanic heritage through her books. She won a Pura Belpré text and illustration award with the book “The bossy gallito: A traditional Cuban folktale and the Americas Award with the book “Vejigante Masquerader”. At the present time she lives in Silver Springs, Maryland.
This book contains wonderful illustrations by Lulu Delacre. They are vivid and colorful, by portraying children having fun around their surrounding such as in the patio, plaza, and the market. Many of the songs reminded me about some of the games I used to play, when I was little. I believe that the plot is interesting and fresh, since I know many teachers and parents at least are trying to cultivate their heritage by children listening or playing these songs. Something that I found exciting about this book was that, if the individual does not know the intonations of the songs, at the end of the book people can find how to play the songs on a piano. Yet, the most important thing was that it is a bilingual book, so different cultures can play it too. I definitely recommend this book for teachers and parents as well.
Ehlert, Lois. Planting a Rainbow. Orlando, FL: Red Wagon Books, 1988. 29 pages. Ages 4-7. Genre: Picture book. Language: English.
Planting a Rainbow is a very interesting book as well as colorful. This book tells a story about a mom and her child planting different kinds of flowers. It describes what they do from the beginning of the fall, starting by planting the bulbs, in the spring where the bulbs are growing, and in the summer picking a special place to plant the seedling. Lois Ehlert is not only an author, but an illustrator of books too. She is the Caldecott Honor winning author and illustrator of Color Zoo, as well as Color Farm, and Circus. Many of her books were inspired for her love to plants such as Growing Vegetable Soup, Eating the Alphabet, and Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf to mention some of her books. She lives now in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Planting a rainbow it is a very colorful book. It illustrations are so vivid and beautiful. This book is one of my favorites, since in a simple illustrations and written descriptions gives an idea on how plants grow. The book not only talks about plants, but about colors and flowers names. This book it is good for children so they can learn the basic colors and those students that are learning to read too. Teachers can use this book to do different activities, especially if they going to introduce plants to younger students. I use this book for an introduction to colors as well for a flowers activity. Definitely I will recommend that teachers should have this book, children will love it. They will fall in love with its colorful way in showing and telling the story.
Fisher, Leonard E. Marie Curie. New York: Macmillan Pub, 1994. Unpaged. Ages 10-13. Genre: Non-fiction, biography. Language: English.
Marie Curie was a scientist that grew up in a family that valued education. She was the first woman to study at the Sorbonne, and the first woman to teach there. She received the Nobel Prize twice, once in physics, once in chemistry. With her husband Pierre, she investigated the nature of radioactive elements. Both husband and wife discovered the elements polonium and radium. Leonard E. Fisher was and illustrator and painter. He has a history in illustrating books. He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1924. He has vast of awards that he have received, some of them to mentioned are the Children's Book Guild/Washington Post Nonfiction Award 1979 and the Kerlan Award, University of Minnesota 1991. At the present time he lives at Westport, Connecticut.
This book is white and black illustrated. It has illustrations about Marie Curie conducting her experiments from the beginnings of his education, working with her husband in the laboratory, and her findings of the radioactive elements. The information that Fisher offers in the book goes to the point in the life of Marie Curie, without making it boring to the reader. However, I do believe that just by the illustrations being black and white makes the book difficult to chose, if the children had an option from a colorful one. Nevertheless, I like the way how Fisher talked about the discrimination women were suffering at that time. I do believe that teacher might have this copy, but I would consider a more colorful book.
Gamble, Adam. Good Night Zoo. Yarmounth, MA: Our World of Books, 2007. 14 pages. Ages 3-9. Genre: Picture book. Language: English.
In this picture book, Adam Gamble tells a story about several people in the zoo. On each different page the books shows a different animal. It gives the children a vivid idea of what the zoo is all about. Adam Gamble books consist mostly on good night stories. His books range from describing most of the USA cities to vividly describe lakes and zoos. In addition, he has written about informational and literature books such as the 1880 Atlas of Barnstable County, Public Betrayed: An inside Look at Japanese Media Atrocities and Their Warnings to the West. Adam Gamble besides writing a vast of children books is a publisher and a photographer. His family owns a publisher company named On Cape Publications in where Gamble is the manager. Gamble now lives in Hamilton, Massachusetts.
This book is caught my attention one time I was reading it to my niece. This book it is one of her favorites. I like this book because it has an original way to tell what people are seeing in the zoo. I consider this book besides telling a good night story, a book that can help beginner readers to read simple sentences. Also, the pictures can speak by themselves, since they are very colorful and describe what is been written. This book is written for any ethnicity and income families. I believe this book should be teachers must have, since definitely will help students to give an idea what amazing things children may encounter in the zoo, plus it will help them with their reading.
Grimmes, Nikki. C is for City. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press, 2002. Unpaged. Ages 6-10. Genre: Poetry. Language: English.
This book is telling the alphabet in a rhyming way. Yet, every thing that it is been told in the book is related to things children might find in their surroundings. Nikki Grimmes began writing poetry at such early age. She has a vast collection of books of poetry that consist for children. She was born and raised in New York. She has several winning works such as ALA Notable book, What is Goodbye?, the novels Jazmin's Notebook, Dark Sons, and The Road to Paris Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books. At the present time she lives in Coronado, California.
I love this book C is for City. This book very colorful and children are able to see many people engaging on different activities around places in the city. The most original thing about the book is that, on each page that contains the letter, children can find some other things that begin with that specific letter of the alphabet. It is like playing a game of how many things you can find. I do think that children will be very engaging reading and trying to find out the missing words. The poems in this book are very interesting and fresh, since are related to every day activities a typical children will do. I do believe this book it is good for beginners readers. Teacher should consider this book to have it in their book’s collections.
Grimmes, Nikki. Meet Danitra Brown. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1994. Unpaged. Ages 10-12. Genre: Poetry. Language: English.
This lively collection of poems introduces young readers to Danitra Brown, the most impressive girl in town, and her best friend, Zuri Jackson. Grimes use Zuri Jackson’s voice to share tales of the girls' aspirations and ideas by doing fun activities such as jumping rope, biking, and talking.
I like this book because in such original way, Grimmes narrates Danitra life. This is a good way to introduce narrations to students, as well as poetry. The theme on friendship it is well describe, since is Zuri the one that is talking about her best friend attitudes. The illustrations in the book are quite dark and different, that I will say it might be not easy for a student to choose the book, since most of the time students guide themselves to read a book that gets their attention. This book seemed inspired by people that live in the middle class society. However, I do think this book has special twist when it talks about the color of the skin. I think this an authentic perspective from a child point of view. I believe the book should be must teachers have, since it expresses in poems the real life and expectations a child from another culture has because that can help any student to make connections towards their own life.
Kimmel, Eric A. The Runaway Tortilla. Delray Beach, FL: Winslow Press, 2000. Unpaged. Ages 5-8. Genre: Traditional literature, folk tale. Language: English.
In Texas, Tia Lupe and Tio Jose make the best tortillas so day the cowboys said the tortillas might jump right out of the griddle. One day, a tortilla does exactly that. The tortilla runs through the desert, encountering two horned toads, three donkeys, four jackrabbits, five rattlesnakes, and six buckaroos. She avoids them all, but is finally eaten by Senor Coyote. Eric A. Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1946. He has published over fifty titles, many of which have won numerous state awards. He has won prestigious awards such as the Caldecott Honor Medal for Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins and the Sydney Taylor Picture Book Award for The Chanukkah Guest and Gershon's Monster. At the present time, he travels around USA visiting schools and talking about his books, and telling stories. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
The book illustrations are very pallid and plain, that I do not believe they engage their readers in the story. The repetition of what the tortilla is saying gets boring after awhile. However, it does have some positive sides in the story. Parents might use this book for children that are beginning counting, since in the book there are several people and animals chasing the tortilla. Also, I think this book has some stereotype, on how the illustrations shows how people dresses in the southwest, which I considered is not true. In addition, not all Texas is arid and not all restaurants are in the desert like in this book is showing. I really do not think this could be a good book to have in the teacher’s library.
Winter, Jonah. Frida. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2002. 32 pages. Ages 5-9. Genre: Picture story book. Language: English.
This book teach students about Frida’s life and work, since in this book the author touches important events such as Frida’s childhood, loneliness, and the polio that kept her confined to bed for months, as well as a bus accident, at age 18, that nearly killed her. Many of his books are inspired by famous figures such as Roberto Clement, Mohamed Ali, Diego Rivera, and Hildegard. Winter besides writing children books he is a musician, painter, and even poetry writer. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1962. Now he lives in Brooklyn, New York in where he makes his living by playing different instruments and/or panting.
Frida it is one of my favorite’s children books. The book transforms Frida herself from a sad child with dark eyebrows, to a woman with both strength and inner struggle. The illustrations are amazing and colorful just as Frida paintings. I do believe this book do not have any stereotyping about other people’s culture, since Winter portrayed Frida’s life as it was at that time. I would recommend this book, since this book can facilitate students’ connections to some of their experiences and visualize, and understand Frida’s life. The characters in the books are basics images that Frida used in many of her paintings. This book should be on every shelf of the teacher’s books.
BIL 350
Reading choices
6/24/2008
Annotated Bibliography The last ten.
Aguilar, David A. 11 Planets: A New View of the Solar System. Washington, D.C: National Geographic Society, 2006. Pages 47. Ages 9-12. Genre: contemporary fantasy. Language: English.
This book talks about the 11 planets the solar system has. It tells information about and a small story about why our ancestors gave those names to each of them. The book also gives a brief explanation on how our solar system formed. David A. Aguilar has written one more book besides, this one. This book presents the latest discoveries in the space, which seemed very accurately. Aguilar is the director of Public Affairs and Science Information at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He is the PBS’s Emmy award winner for NOVA series, Evolution.
This book has excellent pictures of the planets. Along with the pictures, it has a good description of each of the planets in our solar system. The theme about he planes it is well address, since the wording it is easy to understand. The pictures seemed very realistic, that children can have a clear image of how they really look. I do believe children will love this book, since it explains will details the main point. I really enjoyed reading this book; it caught my attention very easily. I do believe the book is a teacher must have, since this book can help clarify many of the questions many children might have, about the solar system.
Dadey, Debbie. Ghosts Don’t Eat Potato Chips. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1992. Pages 67. Ages 9-11. Chapter book. Language: English.
Howie and Eddie are best friends. Eddie has a weird aunt named Matilda. Then, Howie, Eddie, and some friends went to visit aunt Matilda, so they can give her the super. At some point in the story aunt Matilda tell them to go and water the garden. Then, Howie looked up to the attic window and saw a hat floating in the air. It is then when several weird accidents happen to the kids, while in aunt’s Matilda house. Debbie Dadey was born in Kentucky. She named the Bailey school kids after her grandmother Lilly Bailey. Now she lives in Furlong, Pennsylvania with her family.
This chapter book is written with simple words, which is easy for children to understand. It has some black and white pictures that make you think it is going to be very scary. I do believe children will like to read this book, because they might want to find out why Ghosts don’t Eat Potato Chips. The characters are very engaging that you really do not want to finish reading the book. I do recommend this book for teacher. This book could be a good way to introduce a kid to read chapter books.
Dadey, Debbie. Ghosts Don’t Eat Potato Chips. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1992. Pages 67. Ages 9-11. Chapter book. Language: English.
This book is about a young boy in where he was sent to live with her two aunts because his parents had an accident and they were killed. James was abused frequently by his aunts and he decided to escape from his two evil aunts. Three years after living with his aunts, he encountered a man that gave him a sack of that contained magic. This is when he gets himself on a series of adventures with six giant insects he meets inside a giant peach. Roald Dahal was born in Wales of Norwegian parents. At the age of 26, he moved to Washington D. C., and it was there he began to write. His first short story was The Saturday Evening Post. Around 1960 he began writing children stories such as Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The BFG. He passed away in 1990 in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire.
This book seemed very cruel at the beginning, especially the way the author describes the two mean aunts James had. Also, I found that the words are very detailed when trying to illustrate characters are doing. The book does not have that many illustrations, but that ones that it has are black and white. The characters are engaging and invite you to continue reading and to make connections. I do think that children should be encouraged to read this book. It is full of adventure and fantasy. This book should be on any classroom book collection.
Flor Ada, Alma. Me llamo Maria Isabel. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. 60 pages. Ages: 8-14. Genre: Non-fiction. Language: Spanish available in English.
This book talks about a girl who transfers schools after school has started. She is nervous because she thinks she is not going to have friends like she did in the other school.
When she arrives at her new school her teacher changes her name to Mary, which she does not like, and refuse to answer to the teacher. Later in the book she has a wish, the wish was to be called by her name again. Alma Flor Ada is the founder and first editor in chief of NABE, Journal of the National Association for Bilingual Education. Alma Flor is a very famous and wonderful award-winning author of numerous children’s books as well. In 2000 she received the Pura Belpre Award, 1998, Once Upon a World Award, 1997, Premio Mundial Jose Marti, 1997, Gold Medal, Folklore category, 1996, Latina Writers Awards and many more.
I loved this book. I think in a way I can relate to Maria Isabel, since I do too have problems with the pronunciation of my name. Teachers will always changing my name, and sometimes they still are, but I do not get bother anymore. The book is written in very simple words and the best of all bring out the importance of the Hispanic culture. Also, the book shows the children uniqueness. This is really a teacher must have in the classroom.
Frizell, Colin. Chill. Custer, WA: Orca Book Publishers, 2006. Pages 98. Ages Young Adult. Genre: Novel. Language: English.
Chill is a talented artist and he has a disability, a crippled leg. It has been a significant issue in his life, but it has made him a better artist by channeling his frustration. But when a new English teacher arrives, narrator Sean believes that he finally might have a chance to have a writing tutor. However, he only finds that Mr. Sfinkter is only harsh to his students because supposedly the teacher is trying get them ready to the real word. Yet Chill started to work on something to uncover the kind of teacher Mr. Sfinkter is.
Sean, in turn, tries to help Chill when Chill's act might get him expelled. Colin Frizzell grew up in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada. He currently lives in Toronto, Ontario. He is a writer and screenplay. He mostly writes for young adults.
I chose this book because of the title Chill. I thought the book was going to be about some horror or drama story. However, at the time I started to read it, I change my prediction. I really like this book, since just like Chill I encounter myself with mean teachers. However, it takes bravery to confront them and let them know that they way of insulting people, it is not the way to motivate us to challenge ourselves in the real world. This book it is a teacher must have in the classroom. I do believe that this book gives motivation for students to have self-esteem and ant the same time to learn that they can speak up and be heard from adults. I do believe the topic it is fresh and very interesting to read.
Hearne, Betsy. Seven Brave Women. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1997. Pages 21. Ages 5-9. Genre: Historical. Language: English.
This book narrates the life of seven women, which lived and saw different wars such as the revolutionary war, Spanish war, and the Vietnam War. This book tells the story of each one of those women that did great things in the eight wars that frame their lives. The book gives a very detailed explanation from the Revolutionary War to the present. It also makes an emphasis by telling that his great great great grandmother emigrated from Switzerland to USA. Betsy grew up in Alabama. She was in home schooled. She wrote her first book of poetry when she was fours years old. Then, later on in life she began reviewing children’s books and story telling, things that she still does at this point. She has won several awards with this book such as Winner, 1998 Jane Addams Children's Book Award and ALA Notable Booklist Editors Choice. She lives at Urbana, Illinois.
This book caught my attention because of the title. It tells the main point of each of the women it talks about. It begins by telling something about all the majors’ wars this country has seen, and that at some point it had change the lives of many people. I do believe children will like this book, since it gives details about how people lived at that time. This book it is colorful and the pictures seemed like they were painted by a children. I really would recommend this book for classroom library collection.
Marcellino, Fred. I, Crocodile. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1999. Pages 31. Ages 4-8. Genre: Historical. Language: English.
I, Crocodile is a very simple book that tells the story of a crocodile that was taken from his home Egypt by Napoleon of France. The crocodile was taken to Napoleon’s hometown as a souvenir. This shows that Napoleon did not have any respect for the Egyptian culture. Marcellino was a designer and illustrator. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He did many book jackets in his career such as Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe, and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. In 1998 he decided to write his first book, I, crocodile. He later was diagnosed with colon cancer. He died on July 12, 2001. This book won the following awards: 2000 ALA Notable Children's Book,
1999 New York Times Best Illustrated Book, 2000-2001 Georgia's Picture Storybook Award, and Georgia's Children's Book Award Masterlist.
This book is very vivid, with colors illustrating the abduction of the crocodile. The illustrations on each page, tells the story without necessarily reading the text. The book gives an idea, about the way in the people dressed at that time. Also, it shows some of the most interest places of the world such as, the Egypt’s pyramids and the Eiffel Tower. This can give children an idea that their imagination can travel back in time.
McMullan, Kate. Little Giant-Big Trouble. New York: Penguin Group, 2007. Pages 112. Ages 8-10. Genre: Chapter book. Language: English.
Wiglaf and his friends are on a rescue mission to save Worm, the dragon they have raised since he was born. They think that a gang of knights in training is the problem, but it turns out that it is a little girl giant. The friends do the impossible so the dragon does not become the girl’s house pet. McMullan was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1947. Her first book was written in 1976 and since then she has written more than 50 books for children. she has written nonfiction, several popular middle-grade novels, and picture books illustrated by her husband. She has created the imaginative Dragon Slayers' Academy series. McMullan lives in New York City and Sag Harbor, New York with her family.
I chose this chapter book because the cover got my attention. Once I started reading it, I was fascinated in the way it was written. The author did a good using onomatopoeia. I read this book to my niece and she was delayed and sometimes she was in suspense, because she wanted to know what was going to happen next. The book only has a few black and white illustrations, so the children can have an idea what is happening in the book. This book it is a must have. Children will love to read this book, because it has adventure, fantasy, suspense, and action at the same time.
Shaw, Janet B. Kaya’s Escape! A Survival Story. Middleton, WI: Pleasant Company Publications, 2002. Pages 79. Ages 8-12. Genre: survival story. Language: English.
Kaya’s Escape is one of the books of series about growing Nez Perce girl. In the fall of 1762, Kaya and her sister were abducted from his village Nez Perce by some enemies. In the staying with the enemies, she looked for ways to escape from them. Then, with the help of a boy that was also captivated by the enemy, Kaya was able to escape and returned home, only after Kaya and her blind sister had over turned the adversity of the road. Shaw was born in Missouri. Before she started writing for American Girls Collections, she dedicated her time to write poems and writing fictions for adults. Janet Shaw lives in Asheville, North Carolina with her husband and their two dogs.
I like this book because it shows how much courage a young girl can have. This book can give motivations to other kids, by letting them know that they can do anything as long as they put their heart to it, and try their hardest. This book is full of adventure. Shaw’s book is free from stereotype. Also, this book helps you to understand a little bit more about the Nez Perce culture. Along the pages, the book has some illustrations that make imagine the feelings of those two girls. The characters are very engaging, especially if you can make any personal connections about survival. I believe this book is a teacher must have.
Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. New York: NBM Publishing, 1991. Pages 47. Ages Young Adult. Genre: Novel. Language: English.
This book is about an immigrant named Jurgis Rudkus and his family, who find themselves at the mercy of a brutal system in the stockyards of Chicago. The book exposes the unsafe and unsanitary conditions in the meat packing industry. Sinclair was born in Baltimore in 1879 and was raised in poverty. He began to write at the age of 15. King Midas, Manassass, and The Metropolis are some of the books he wrote. He received the Pulitzer Prize with the book Dragon’s Teeth.
I choose this book because of the original way it was written. The illustrations on each page show the anger and make you feel the conditions in where the character was working. The book is written with dialogues. The characters are very engaging and realistic. The book exposes the theme of the unsafe conditions in a very simplistic way throughout the book. I do believe teacher should have this book.
tesolinteramericanos/The next ten annotated bibliographies|**Reviewed by Mirsha Reyes 6/24/2008**
Mirsha Reyes first 10 anno bibliographiesMirsha Reyes
BIL 350
Reading choices
6/3/2008
Annotated Bibliography
Barton, Byron. The Little Red Hen. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2006. Unpaged. Ages 4-6. Genre: Traditional literature, fable. Language: English.
The little red hen finds any of her lazy friends willing to help her plant, harvest, or grind wheat into flour, but all are willing to eat the bread she makes from it. Byron Barton is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs, The Three Bears, The Little Red Hen, and Machines at Work. His books feature bright, courageous illustrations which gives life to his words. Barton’s life is unknown.
This book is very vivid with the colors illustrating the animals in the story. The illustrations of animals seemed like they were painted from a beginner painter, such as child, which makes it more interesting for kids to relate to it. I like the way the book introduces their characters, since in that way the children can learn the names of the animals, as well as the colors. This book concentrated on the theme, on which people sometimes wants a piece of success, but they are not willing to work for it. This fable teaches children in simple words a lesson, as well as they can relate how they will feel if they became lazy. The characters are engaging, since at some point children can see how the pig, duck, and the cat, are having fun playing games a regular child will do.
Crews, Donald. Freight Train. New York: Geenwillow Books, 1978. 20 pages. Ages 3-6. Genre: Picture book. Language: English.
In very simple action words and vibrant illustrations, Donald Crews gets the attention of the rolling wheels, so that even a child not lucky enough to have counted freight cars will feel he has watched a freight train passing. Donald Crews won the Caldecott Honor with this book in 1979 and in 1981 with Truck. He wrote some other children books such as Carousel, Fly away, and School bus, books that I consider got to do with moving. He was born in 1938 in New Jersey. He was drafted into the army in 1963 to Frankfurt, Germany. At the present time he is living in New York, NY.
This picture book it is very colorful and I believe it shows the simple concept of motion. I choose this book because it simplicity for children to get to know the colors, numbers, and even to imagine the sound of the train. Also, it let the reader know an indirect way to see what the freight train transport, and where they can see it pass by. This book is for any ethnicity. I read this book to my niece once and I remember that she made a connection when we took the train, and it passed through the tunnel. I remember she said “just like the train in the book we are in a tunnel”. I do think this book stated its theme about freight trucks in a very simplistic way to children to understand it.
Delacre, Lulu. Arroz Con Leche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from Latin America. U.S.A, Scholastic Inc, 1989. 32 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Poetry. Language: English and Spanish.
This book contains wonderful songs, games, and rhyming poems from Latin America. It is a blue ribbon book. The poems are from Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Argentina. The poems and rhymes are written in Spanish and English and some contain a description on how they are played and sang. Lulu Delacre was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico in 1957. She is a writer as well as an illustrator that portrays Hispanic heritage through her books. She won a Pura Belpré text and illustration award with the book “The bossy gallito: A traditional Cuban folktale and the Americas Award with the book “Vejigante Masquerader”. At the present time she lives in Silver Springs, Maryland.
This book contains wonderful illustrations by Lulu Delacre. They are vivid and colorful, by portraying children having fun around their surrounding such as in the patio, plaza, and the market. Many of the songs reminded me about some of the games I used to play, when I was little. I believe that the plot is interesting and fresh, since I know many teachers and parents at least are trying to cultivate their heritage by children listening or playing these songs. Something that I found exciting about this book was that, if the individual does not know the intonations of the songs, at the end of the book people can find how to play the songs on a piano. Yet, the most important thing was that it is a bilingual book, so different cultures can play it too. I definitely recommend this book for teachers and parents as well.
Ehlert, Lois. Planting a Rainbow. Orlando, FL: Red Wagon Books, 1988. 29 pages. Ages 4-7. Genre: Picture book. Language: English.
Planting a Rainbow is a very interesting book as well as colorful. This book tells a story about a mom and her child planting different kinds of flowers. It describes what they do from the beginning of the fall, starting by planting the bulbs, in the spring where the bulbs are growing, and in the summer picking a special place to plant the seedling. Lois Ehlert is not only an author, but an illustrator of books too. She is the Caldecott Honor winning author and illustrator of Color Zoo, as well as Color Farm, and Circus. Many of her books were inspired for her love to plants such as Growing Vegetable Soup, Eating the Alphabet, and Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf to mention some of her books. She lives now in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Planting a rainbow it is a very colorful book. It illustrations are so vivid and beautiful. This book is one of my favorites, since in a simple illustrations and written descriptions gives an idea on how plants grow. The book not only talks about plants, but about colors and flowers names. This book it is good for children so they can learn the basic colors and those students that are learning to read too. Teachers can use this book to do different activities, especially if they going to introduce plants to younger students. I use this book for an introduction to colors as well for a flowers activity. Definitely I will recommend that teachers should have this book, children will love it. They will fall in love with its colorful way in showing and telling the story.
Fisher, Leonard E. Marie Curie. New York: Macmillan Pub, 1994. Unpaged. Ages 10-13. Genre: Non-fiction, biography. Language: English.
Marie Curie was a scientist that grew up in a family that valued education. She was the first woman to study at the Sorbonne, and the first woman to teach there. She received the Nobel Prize twice, once in physics, once in chemistry. With her husband Pierre, she investigated the nature of radioactive elements. Both husband and wife discovered the elements polonium and radium. Leonard E. Fisher was and illustrator and painter. He has a history in illustrating books. He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1924. He has vast of awards that he have received, some of them to mentioned are the Children's Book Guild/Washington Post Nonfiction Award 1979 and the Kerlan Award, University of Minnesota 1991. At the present time he lives at Westport, Connecticut.
This book is white and black illustrated. It has illustrations about Marie Curie conducting her experiments from the beginnings of his education, working with her husband in the laboratory, and her findings of the radioactive elements. The information that Fisher offers in the book goes to the point in the life of Marie Curie, without making it boring to the reader. However, I do believe that just by the illustrations being black and white makes the book difficult to chose, if the children had an option from a colorful one. Nevertheless, I like the way how Fisher talked about the discrimination women were suffering at that time. I do believe that teacher might have this copy, but I would consider a more colorful book.
Gamble, Adam. Good Night Zoo. Yarmounth, MA: Our World of Books, 2007. 14 pages. Ages 3-9. Genre: Picture book. Language: English.
In this picture book, Adam Gamble tells a story about several people in the zoo. On each different page the books shows a different animal. It gives the children a vivid idea of what the zoo is all about. Adam Gamble books consist mostly on good night stories. His books range from describing most of the USA cities to vividly describe lakes and zoos. In addition, he has written about informational and literature books such as the 1880 Atlas of Barnstable County, Public Betrayed: An inside Look at Japanese Media Atrocities and Their Warnings to the West. Adam Gamble besides writing a vast of children books is a publisher and a photographer. His family owns a publisher company named On Cape Publications in where Gamble is the manager. Gamble now lives in Hamilton, Massachusetts.
This book is caught my attention one time I was reading it to my niece. This book it is one of her favorites. I like this book because it has an original way to tell what people are seeing in the zoo. I consider this book besides telling a good night story, a book that can help beginner readers to read simple sentences. Also, the pictures can speak by themselves, since they are very colorful and describe what is been written. This book is written for any ethnicity and income families. I believe this book should be teachers must have, since definitely will help students to give an idea what amazing things children may encounter in the zoo, plus it will help them with their reading.
Grimmes, Nikki. C is for City. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press, 2002. Unpaged. Ages 6-10. Genre: Poetry. Language: English.
This book is telling the alphabet in a rhyming way. Yet, every thing that it is been told in the book is related to things children might find in their surroundings. Nikki Grimmes began writing poetry at such early age. She has a vast collection of books of poetry that consist for children. She was born and raised in New York. She has several winning works such as ALA Notable book, What is Goodbye?, the novels Jazmin's Notebook, Dark Sons, and The Road to Paris Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books. At the present time she lives in Coronado, California.
I love this book C is for City. This book very colorful and children are able to see many people engaging on different activities around places in the city. The most original thing about the book is that, on each page that contains the letter, children can find some other things that begin with that specific letter of the alphabet. It is like playing a game of how many things you can find. I do think that children will be very engaging reading and trying to find out the missing words. The poems in this book are very interesting and fresh, since are related to every day activities a typical children will do. I do believe this book it is good for beginners readers. Teacher should consider this book to have it in their book’s collections.
Grimmes, Nikki. Meet Danitra Brown. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1994. Unpaged. Ages 10-12. Genre: Poetry. Language: English.
This lively collection of poems introduces young readers to Danitra Brown, the most impressive girl in town, and her best friend, Zuri Jackson. Grimes use Zuri Jackson’s voice to share tales of the girls' aspirations and ideas by doing fun activities such as jumping rope, biking, and talking.
I like this book because in such original way, Grimmes narrates Danitra life. This is a good way to introduce narrations to students, as well as poetry. The theme on friendship it is well describe, since is Zuri the one that is talking about her best friend attitudes. The illustrations in the book are quite dark and different, that I will say it might be not easy for a student to choose the book, since most of the time students guide themselves to read a book that gets their attention. This book seemed inspired by people that live in the middle class society. However, I do think this book has special twist when it talks about the color of the skin. I think this an authentic perspective from a child point of view. I believe the book should be must teachers have, since it expresses in poems the real life and expectations a child from another culture has because that can help any student to make connections towards their own life.
Kimmel, Eric A. The Runaway Tortilla. Delray Beach, FL: Winslow Press, 2000. Unpaged. Ages 5-8. Genre: Traditional literature, folk tale. Language: English.
In Texas, Tia Lupe and Tio Jose make the best tortillas so day the cowboys said the tortillas might jump right out of the griddle. One day, a tortilla does exactly that. The tortilla runs through the desert, encountering two horned toads, three donkeys, four jackrabbits, five rattlesnakes, and six buckaroos. She avoids them all, but is finally eaten by Senor Coyote. Eric A. Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1946. He has published over fifty titles, many of which have won numerous state awards. He has won prestigious awards such as the Caldecott Honor Medal for Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins and the Sydney Taylor Picture Book Award for The Chanukkah Guest and Gershon's Monster. At the present time, he travels around USA visiting schools and talking about his books, and telling stories. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
The book illustrations are very pallid and plain, that I do not believe they engage their readers in the story. The repetition of what the tortilla is saying gets boring after awhile. However, it does have some positive sides in the story. Parents might use this book for children that are beginning counting, since in the book there are several people and animals chasing the tortilla. Also, I think this book has some stereotype, on how the illustrations shows how people dresses in the southwest, which I considered is not true. In addition, not all Texas is arid and not all restaurants are in the desert like in this book is showing. I really do not think this could be a good book to have in the teacher’s library.
Winter, Jonah. Frida. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 2002. 32 pages. Ages 5-9. Genre: Picture story book. Language: English.
This book teach students about Frida’s life and work, since in this book the author touches important events such as Frida’s childhood, loneliness, and the polio that kept her confined to bed for months, as well as a bus accident, at age 18, that nearly killed her. Many of his books are inspired by famous figures such as Roberto Clement, Mohamed Ali, Diego Rivera, and Hildegard. Winter besides writing children books he is a musician, painter, and even poetry writer. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1962. Now he lives in Brooklyn, New York in where he makes his living by playing different instruments and/or panting.
Frida it is one of my favorite’s children books. The book transforms Frida herself from a sad child with dark eyebrows, to a woman with both strength and inner struggle. The illustrations are amazing and colorful just as Frida paintings. I do believe this book do not have any stereotyping about other people’s culture, since Winter portrayed Frida’s life as it was at that time. I would recommend this book, since this book can facilitate students’ connections to some of their experiences and visualize, and understand Frida’s life. The characters in the books are basics images that Frida used in many of her paintings. This book should be on every shelf of the teacher’s books.
Reviewed by: Mirsha C. Reyes 6/24/2008
Reviewed by: Mirsha C. Reyes 6/3/2008
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